The actuation performance of smart beams with extension and shear mode
segments is investigated. The beam models are based on the first-order and
higher-order shear deformation beam theories. The piezoelectric stress
resultants are expressed in terms of Heaviside discontinuity functions. The
state-space approach along with the Jordan canonical form is used to obtain
an analytical solution for the static deflection of smart beams with arbitrary
boundary conditions. Through demonstrative examples, a comparative study
of a beam with extension mode actuators and the corresponding beam with a
shear mode actuator is attained. The effects of actuator length and location
on the deflected shape of the beam are studied. Results show that shear
patches create the largest deflection if they are placed near the support,
whereas extension patches create the largest deflection if they are placed at
the beam center. For clamped–hinged and clamped–clamped beams, the
actuation performance of the shear patches is superior to that of the
extension patches.